


How the Sky Falls

by CaughtinCandy



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Aborted Undertale Genocide Run, Angst, Anxiety, Child Frisk (Undertale), Depression, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Miscommunication, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Undertale Monsters on the Surface
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:47:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25533841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaughtinCandy/pseuds/CaughtinCandy
Summary: Sans is next. You probably want to hug him the most, to feel some kind of physical reaffirmation from him, but you also think he wants it the least so you stand in front of him instead and hope you look a little less nervous than you feel."I-" you try to say but he cuts you off before you can spout out one of the million things that have been left unsaid between the two of you."see ya round kiddo." He winks and ruffles up your hair a bit. You want to pout but he's giving you that strange look again and you can't decide if you're grateful he stopped you from speaking or infuriated.Rated T just to be safe.
Relationships: Alphys/Undyne (Undertale), Frisk & Sans (Undertale)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 43





	1. Goodbye Forever

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! Welcome to my first fanfiction! This story takes place after a true pacifist ending, and genocide has occurred in the past.
> 
> This story is second person, following Frisk, however, i'm trying to keep Frisk's name out of it as much as possible so if you can ignore the occasional name drop then you could probably view this as a reader POV.
> 
> I see Frisk as a girl, but again, am trying to keep gendered terms minimal so do with that what you will.
> 
> Frisk starts off as 6 years old in this story. Because of all the time spent in resets, though, her mind has grown where her body hasn't. I want to explore this concept a bit, but she will get older as the whole story won't take place in the same year.
> 
> I plan on uploading a new chapter once a week (every Saturday), so stay tuned for those.
> 
> I don't have any plans to ship non canonical pairings. No Frans, Soriel, Papyton, etc. Alphys and Undyne are together and maybe Toriel and Asgore have a chance. WHO KNOWS.
> 
> Finally, please take the time to leave reviews if you're so inclined! I love hearing what people have to say!
> 
> Enjoy!

Your legs are too short. There's a million things going through your mind right now but for some reason that's the thought that sticks.

You aren't sure how long it's been exactly, since Toriel took your hand and asked if you had somewhere to go. You knew telling her you couldn't stay would be difficult, but you were still slightly surprised when her large, warm hand retreated from your own miniature one. She had turned away, her exit accentuated by the soft thumping of her large, shoeless, feet. You wanted to call out to her, but you still hadn't been able to bring yourself to call her mom so you didn't say anything at all. 

The sun has mostly set since then, only the top bit still peeking out to create long shadows. You know you have to leave eventually, that any chance of achieving your original goal when climbing the mountain was forfeit now. You'd worked too hard - fought too desperately - to go back now. Still, that didn't stop you from realizing, quite clearly, just how tall Mount Ebott really is. You're too young for this, you think, and your legs are too damn short.

"you stare into the sun much longer and you'll go blind."

You look to your left - Sans is standing there with an expression you can't quite place and you raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"yeah, _eye_ guess you already knew that."

It's a pretty bad pun, even by Sans's standards, but a snort makes its way out of you before you can force it to stop. You've both had long days.  


"everyone's, uh, waitin' for ya." He says, his body slouching comfortably despite the slight edge to his voice. You stare at each other for a moment - it's nice to think that he cares but you know it's not the reason he's here. For a moment, a searing desperation makes its way through your entire body. You want to tell him you won't reset again. You want to tell him you're sorry. You want to tell him _why_ you're sorry.  


You look back out over the cliff as the sun finally retires for the evening. You're shaking, and you don't think it's from the cold but you pretend like it is. You know Sans - not well, certainly not as well as you'd like - but well enough to know he probably doesn't want you to say anything at all so you decide to keep your mouth shut.  


"Can't stay with you." You try instead. Your voice is quiet as you turn back to him. You try to make yourself elaborate but the words don't come. Speaking was never your forte.  


"k" he agrees, and you aren't sure if it hurts more that Toriel didn't try to fight for you or that he didn't. "but, uh, we're all goin' the same way, right?"  


You shrug your shoulders, but he's right and you both know it, so you pull your fingers into the warmth of your sleeves and wait for him to follow you.  


"'s a long way." He says, his grin shifting from perpetual to mischievous. He takes your hand with a wink and your smile becomes a bit more genuine too. "c'mon, i know a shortcut."

"TINY HUMAN!" Papyrus declares almost the second you've stepped into sight of the small camp being made.  


"PAPYRUS!" You declare back, putting a hand to your hip and clenching your available fist in a mimicry of Papyrus's own posture.  


"THE ONE AND ONLY." Swiftly, but with all the care in the world, he sweeps you up and holds you out at arm's length. He's wearing a somewhat concerned look and your heart sinks at the thought that something's gone wrong already. "SOMEONE HAS TAKEN THE SUN, HUMAN! AND I! THE GREAT PAPYRUS! MUST FIND IT!"  


He looks worried, but says it with such confidence that you start laughing uncontrollably. You know you're overreacting but your emotional status has been nothing short of crippled lately and it feels good to laugh, so you don't make any effort to stop. You're grateful when Alphys starts explaining the basics of astrology to him (even if you'd calmed down enough, you think she did a much better job of explaining it than you would have).  


When the stars begin coming out, you think the monsters must have been trapped under the most beautiful mountain in the world. It's as if the galaxy was opening itself up in welcome.  


"Wooooooah, man! You must've really missed this, huh, punk?! No wonder you wanted to get back to the surface so badly!" Undyne said.  


You aren't sure how to respond to that so you hum in acknowledgement as you reconsider the stars above you. It's breathtaking, and yet, you can't help but feel like Waterfall is better.  


You shift slightly, allowing yourself to peak over at Sans. His face has always been hard to read, but his eyes are filled with such wonder that you're sure you've never seen him so genuinely pleased before. His expression is, perhaps for the first time that you can recall, completely unguarded. You aren't sure how long it'll be until you see him like this again, if you ever get to see him again at all, and you wish you had a save point at the camp. No luck, though, you haven't seen any saves since coming to the surface and something deep down tells you there won't be any either.  


You try to commit everyone's reactions to memory instead. You don't think anything in the underground has ever offered them the sort of peace this moment has and you decide, suddenly, that maybe you don't like Waterfall better after all.

You woke up early the next morning and everyone headed down the mountain together. Papyrus was determined to make the best first impression. You love him, and you're sure Ebott town will love him just as much. Undyne goes ahead with him, and you aren't sure just yet if she'll be watching over him or he'll be watching over her. You think they'll be fine though so you continue with the rest of the group until you stop just outside the town's sign.  


"I have to go now." You say. Toriel turns to you with such a pained expression that you have to bite your tongue to stop yourself from screaming. You know she isn't ready for this. You aren't ready for this either.  


"So soon, my child?" She manages, and you know everyone is looking at you now.  


"Y-y-you're l-leaving?" Alphys splutters. You were sort of hoping Toriel had told everyone already, but you know how much it hurts her and you get why she wouldn't want to repeat it. You nod once and tell them you have a human family waiting for you. No one looks pleased with this but they seem to understand anyways and offer you various comforting expressions.  


"Well then," Asgore says as he comes down on one knee in front of you. His hand finds its way onto your shoulder, engulfing much of your small frame. "Do not be a stranger, human. We still need to have that tea, after all." He lowers his face, trying to get down on your level despite his massive size. "My door will always be open to you." He looks away before adding, "When I have a door to open, anyways." You laugh and hug him, your arms barely touching the tops of his shoulders. "Stay determined, human." He says in a voice low enough that only you can hear it. You nod into his beard and then stand on your tiptoes so he can hear you better.  


"I love you a lot." You say, because you're pretty sure it's true and you get a sickly feeling when you think of him never knowing it. You pull away just in time to see his whole face light up. You feel like you've finally done something right for once. Asgore pats your head and beams.  


"I love you as well, little one." You're heart flutters at his words and you try not to let the gnawing guilt of undone timelines ruin this moment for you. You give Asgore one more smile before patting his enormous hand and turning to Alphys. You throw your arms around her before she can react. She goes rigid at your touch.  


"H-h-human!" She squeaks. You don't pull away and eventually her arms wrap around your small form in return. "I-if you n-need anything, just text me o-or, well, y-you have me on undernet s-so… you can… message me?" She doesn't sound certain. You wish you could stay around long enough to help her build up her confidence. You pull back slightly, just enough to see her face properly.  


"Love you Alphys." You giggle as her face turns scarlet and she wordlessly opens and closes her mouth a few times.  


"O-o-omg human! T-that's so cute!" She's starting to squeal now so you hug her again and say goodbye. "S-seriously," she says, "Undernet."  


You smile and release her. Sans is next. You probably want to hug him the most, to feel some kind of physical reaffirmation from him, but you also think he wants it the least so you stand in front of him instead and hope you look a little less nervous than you feel.  


"I-" you try to say but he cuts you off before you can spout out one of the million things that have been left unsaid between the two of you.  


"see ya round kiddo." He winks and ruffles up your hair a bit. You want to pout but he's giving you that strange look again and you can't decide if you're grateful he stopped you from speaking or infuriated. You turn to Toriel before you can make up your mind. She kneels down right away with her arms stretched wide and you practically throw yourself at her.  


"Be good, my child, will you not?" Her voice wavers, and you know she's trying not to cry. You think that's a promise you can manage, or at the very least, strive for, so you nod into her fur and take in the gentle scent of butterscotch and cinnamon. After a moment, you push yourself away a bit.  


"I love you." You want to call her mom, but every time you attempt the pleasant one syllable word, you can't stop yourself from thinking of a purple dress and a dust covered door. You wish you weren't so weak but you can't do anything to change it so you watch her face as her heart breaks instead.  


"I love you as well, my child. When you get the time, we would very much like to see you and meet your human family." You think having her meet your human family would break her even more than if you disappeared without a word so you just hug her without saying anything.  


Sans is still staring at you. You're pretty sure you'll never see any of them again and you think he knows that too but he doesn't say anything about it and you can't bring yourself to tell them  


You hope Undyne and Papyrus won't be angry that you didn't wait for them to say goodbye. You don't think you'd be able to leave if you had to break Papyrus's heart too. You've seen Undyne suplex boulders the size of cars and hope she doesn't freak out either. She probably will but you can't do much about it so you wave one last time and start to walk away.  


You don't look back, you don't think you'll be able to go through with it if you look back. Even so, you're pretty sure Sans is still giving you that look as you saunter away.

You walk around for a while before going back home. You're too far away to hear the commotion your friends are creating on the other side of town but the streets are pretty much bare and you don't need to be a detective to figure out that they're the reason why.  


When you finally do make it back to the house, no one's home. It's a large place, more of a manor really. You should feel lucky to be living in a wealthy home but you don't. You walk through the halls for a bit, waiting for your adoptive parents to come back. You used to think you hated them but now you're not sure you can bring yourself to hate anyone.  


Felicity is the lady of the house. You think she's pretty, but she's still kind of young and she doesn't know what she wants. She thinks she does, but she doesn't and you don't really like that.  


Johnathan is her husband. He's a bit older and quiet, which you do like, but you also think he hates you so you avoid him as much as possible. He's never laid his hands on you though, and you know that's more than some kids can say so you try not to complain.  


When they do finally get home, you can hear them talking about the monsters. You aren't sure you want to hear what they have to say about it so you wander into the foyer and wait for them to notice you. Felicity sees you first and you stare at each other for a moment before she runs to you and gathers you in a hug. She's crying and shaking and you think it's equal parts rage and sorrow.  


"Frisk! Where have you been?" She seems relieved as she clings to you. You aren't sure where to start so you just let her cry on your shoulder. "Where the hell have you been? You know better!" Now she's mad and you think that's probably fair.  


Johnathan hasn't moved but his body has sagged and you think he looks relieved to see you as well. It makes you feel a little better to know that even he's bothered by the idea of a little kid sitting dead or murdered in a ditch somewhere, or whatever they thought had happened to you.  


"Fell." You said simply, and you think she understood perfectly what you meant by that one word alone.  


"No." She insisted, "Not my baby girl." She's shaking you now and Johnathan walks up with a stern look. He doesn't look relieved anymore and you wish you'd never come back home. "You didn't." She insisted, "They said your name but you didn't, because you know better. You know better than that!" She's shouting now and you aren't sure who said your name but you figure she got the jist of your story while you were waiting for them to get home.  


Felicity and Johnathan had always been devout Christians, not that that had really ever bothered you in the past. You think of the skelebros and giant walking goat parents and think this probably won't go the way you want it too.  
"You're home now." She says as she hugs you tighter. "You're home now and we'll fix this all together, as a family." You don't feel comforted in the least by those words.  


Felicity smiles at you and turns to Johnathan. You're pretty sure if it was up to him you'd have been thrown back into the system by now but ever since you've met him he's done what Felicity wanted so he just sighs and kisses her on the forehead. She's beaming, even as Johnathan calls the police to say you've come home, and you try to figure out how you're going to explain your story to them without pissing your adoptive parents off.  


By the time police get to your house there are already reporters and press outside your door. Not as many as you thought there would be, but you guess a lot of the media is covering the actual monsters and not the human who came back with them.  


Felicity is stroking your hair when two officers and what you guess is a paramedic come into the house. They talk to your guardians for a moment but you aren't paying much attention until one of the officers tell you they're gonna look you over for injuries. You nod your head once and they ask you what happened.  


"Fell." You say again, because you aren't sure what else to say. Even if you wanted to, you don't think you have the energy to tell the whole story right now.  


"My poor girl." Felicity says, as she pulls you a little tighter to her. You shift a bit in her arms but she doesn't give. You've only known her for a couple months and you're not really that comfortable with her. You think it could be worse so you don't say anything about it. "What's going to happen with those-" she struggles to find a word that properly describes how she feels, "Those _things._ " Your heart breaks a little because you think Felicity is a nice woman and you want her to be less miserable all the time. The monsters would probably be able to make her happy, too, but you get the feeling she won't really give them that chance.  


"Can't say much about it at this time, ma'am." The officer says as if he's had to say that same thing at least fifty times in the last hour alone. "Right now we want to make sure Frisk here is okay." He's flipping through some papers now and you know he has your record, or at least he's seen it before.  


The first time you ran away was with a different family. When your disappearance was reported, the police had started a full scale investigation. The Marshalls - who you had been staying with - were nice people and you still kind of felt bad about that whole thing. You've had a few incidents since then and you know they consider you 'at risk' for running away so you're pretty sure no one will get in trouble this time.  


"Not hurt. Saved me. Nice." You say. You feel Felicity tense around you but you need everyone to know they aren't in danger. You would never forgive yourself if you were the reason monsters couldn't reintegrate.  


"Will we be able to get a statement down at the station from her?" One of the officers asks, a woman this time. "They're gonna want to bring her in and get the full story."  


"Will I be able to stay with her?" Felicity asks. She sounds nervous, and you feel like you should be grateful that she seems to actually care about you but you're stuck on indifferent right now and it makes you feel a little ungrateful.  


The officer says that's fine, and you can't help but feel a bit annoyed that no one's asking you what you want. You know you look like a little kid but you aren't - not anymore. You try fruitlessly to form words so you can enter a conversation you've longed since stopped paying attention to.  


Eventually, the officers finish up and leave. As soon as the door closes, Felicity sets you down and asks you to tell her everything that happened. You don't think there's any way to tell the story in a way she'll like but you try your best anyways. You take a deep breath before very carefully beginning from the top.  


"I fell down a hole and was saved from the friendliness pellets of a talking flower by a magical goat lady who made me butterscotch cinnamon pie." You can tell from her expression, and Johnathans head slowly peeking back into the room that this will be a long story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, thanks for making it this far!
> 
> I think Sans is a really interesting character but people sometimes overlook just how bad he is at communicating when it comes to stressful topics. He's a very avoidant character and i'm having a lot of fun writing for that more difficult and frustrating aspect of who he is.
> 
> A lot of people write Frisk as being a highly expressive mute. I wanted to put a twist on this that I could personally relate to, and have taken a self deprecating and anxious angle with her. Anxiety is a huge issue for me so it'll probably hang around as a theme.
> 
> Everyone can write their characters how they want, this is just my personal take!
> 
> Stay determined, everyone, and I'll be seeing you for the next chapter!
> 
> (Chapter every Saturday)


	2. Oatmeal Raisin or Chocolate Chip?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Welcome to chapter two of 'How the Sky Falls'.
> 
> For those of you who are Naruto/Harry Potter fans, check out my second story 'Desertification'. It'll take place in the Harry Potter world and focuses on the sand sibs.
> 
> Not a ton more to say this time, thank you for everyone who's read and enjoyed the story so far and I hope to see you all again next week!
> 
> Don't forget to review and let me know what you think!

Felicity never really treated you like a person. Since you came to live at the manor, you've been stuffed into extravagant dresses and outfitted with numerous accessories. She often sits you on her lap and brushes your hair, weaving it into little braids as she tells you what a lucky girl you are. You hate being touched, hate the way it feels when her fingers go through your hair. You don't feel lucky at all. Sometimes, when you're both a bit too tired to think straight, she calls you Arabella. She always looks haunted after and it makes you want to be whatever she's trying so hard to make you into.

You think of Toriel. You think of a box filled with shoes. You think of a toy crate, filled to the brim with the worn playthings of dead children. You think Felicity and Toriel have a lot more in common than you'd initially suspected. Still, your adoptive mother's cool touch gives you a chill that Toriel's warm fur never did and you can't quite puzzle out why.

Johnathan never called you Arabella, but you see the way he tenses when his wife does and you feel like you understand why he hates you a little bit more. You don't understand it, but you feel like you do and you're okay with that.

Before Mount Ebott, you rarely saw Johnathan, but now he insists you go to church with the family. Aside from Sunday Mass, you go there once a week after school. You're brought into a room with a lot of other children you think are way too young to be there. They talk about the monsters, and you try your best not to throw up.

A few weeks after you returned home, monsters were situated at the base of Mount Ebott. You saw a few of Asgore's interviews and you're glad that progress is being made despite your lack of involvement. You're also gutted, though. You feel unnecessary.

There's a decent amount of people in Ebott town that hate monsters. You used to try and explain things to them, but you were just a kid and no one seemed to care what you thought. Felicity always got this embarrassed look when you persisted. You felt like you failed her despite the fact that you could never bring yourself to take the words back.

You think that you're wearing Felicity down, and you know Johnathan is in her ear. You aren't sure how you would feel about going back into the system. They talk about it sometimes, when they think you'd already fallen asleep. It's not long before she stops brushing your hair and telling you how much she loves you, and you feel relieved. You also feel like you lost something important and the conflicting thoughts give you a headache. Sometimes you hear them talk about how little sense you make and you can't even blame them because if _you_ can't figure yourself out, then how can you expect _them_ to?

It's been a month now and you haven't seen any of your monster friends since saying goodbye outside of town. You'd considered calling them, or atleast sending a message on the undernet, but by the time you'd chosen what to say your battery had died and you couldn't find a charger that fit your phone.

A few days ago, you'd finally got the courage to ask Felicity if you could see the monsters again. Just for an hour. Just for a few minutes. You didn't think you'd ever ask her that, you knew what the answer would be after all, but you'd had a nightmare that left you retching and you needed them. You needed to get the visions of dust covered corridors out of your head.

Felicity had grabbed your arm tight, pulling you in towards her. "Don't." She had said, "Don't you ever ask me that again." You're both shaking, one with anger and the other with anxiety, and you want to tell her not to touch you. Her expression makes you feel like you just slapped her across the face, though, so instead, you lower your head in submission and make your way back to your room when she finally lets you go.

Despite her insistence, it's only a few days after this that you do get to see the monsters again. Though the group lived on Mount Ebott, they still frequented the stores on the other side of town. Normally, this meant you were kept far away, but today was shopping day and the store near where you live had closed down due to renovations.

You walked into the grocery store with Felicity and began eyeing various products up and down the isles. It was while considering between chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies, that you felt a presence creep up behind you. Your body stiffened reflexively as you heard the familiar voice.

"i don't see any _raisin_ you couldn't get both." You turned around, half expecting to see an extended hand reaching out to you with a whoopee cushion hidden in it. You didn't of course, but you did see the person who that hand would be attached to. Sans raises an eyebrow at you as you open and close your mouth. "why don't we take a walk kid?"

You can't begin to express how bad of an idea that is. You know Felicity will be wrapping up soon, and if she found out you'd run off to hang out with monsters? You think she might kill you. But Sans continues to stand in front of you expectantly and you remember he really _did_ kill you once upon a time, so you carefully return both boxes of cookies before following him out of the store.

"so." Sans began, as the two of you walked down the length of the street. "been busy? everyone's been lookin' for ya, y'know."

You didn't know, but you weren't exactly surprised to hear it. You looked down, feeling more ashamed of yourself than you probably should. For a long moment, you considered your next choice of words. Sans was nothing if not patient, which you had always been grateful for.

"My phone died." you uttered eventually. It felt like a weak excuse but it was the only one you could think of.

"that so?" It was phrased as a question, but you knew he wasn't really asking. You both knew there were a hundred other ways you could have contacted your monster family, had you really wanted to.

"'M sorry." You mumbled pathetically. Sans stopped walking, reading your face carefully. He took in the sight of you, before beginning to walk again. You tripped over your own feet to catch up after the abrupt, but strange change in pace.

"nah, you ain't got anything to apologize for. you saved everyone, didn't you?" His head tilted in your direction as he offered you a wink. You thought of Asriel and the six human souls. You thought of a golden hallway covered in red and white. You thought you were going to be sick. Again.

"'M sorry." You repeated again. Sans frowned and raised an eyebrow at you, stopping his walk for the second time. "'M sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry" You couldn't stop yourself once you'd started, fat tears rolling down your face. You lowered yourself to the ground and sobbed.

"uh, s'alright, uh, shoot, kid, hey c'mon calm down." Sans stood over you looking extremely uncomfortable. After a few minutes of sobbing, he hesitantly got on one knee and wrapped you in a hug. "c'mon kid, sob-er up." Sans's worried face conflicted with his light tone and you started coughing up laughter. You allowed yourself to get it out before looking to him again with a smile.

"'M sorry." You repeated. "Humans just cry sometimes. I feel much better now." You really did feel better as you allowed yourself to give Sans a quick but careful hug. You stepped back, wiping your tears on your sleeves.

"jeeze kid, you really chilled me to the bone." He winked and you laughed again. You felt lighter than you had in weeks. "y'know pal-" He began before getting cut off.

"HUMAN- TINY HUMAN IS THAT YOU?" You could see Papyrus running up the length of the street and you started waving at him aggressively. "TINY HUMAN, IT IS I. THE GREAT PAPYRUS. DO YOU REMEMBER ME HUMAN?" He lowered his whole body so his face was only a bit higher than your own.

"Of course I remember." you giggle. Papyrus's face lights up at this admission.

"OBVIOUSLY HUMAN, I WAS ONLY TESTING TO SEE IF YOU TRULY BELIEVED THAT I WOULD BELIEVE THAT YOU FORGOT ABOUT ME. PART OF MY CLEVER PLAN ALL ALONG!" He patted your head once, twice, and then let out a loud "NYEH HEH HEH"

"gottem bro." Sans offered.

The tension in your body dissipated as you spoke to the younger, but much louder, skeleton brother. The calm lasted only another minute or so until you heard a shriek of your name from behind.

"Frisk!" It was Felicity and you felt your blood run cold. You don't think you'd ever been in as much trouble as you were about to be. She walked over to you quickly, fear and anger clear in her expression. She grabbed your small hand, sharply pulling you away from Sans and Papyrus.

"sup." Sans offered, but he wasn't looking at the woman he was addressing, he was staring instead at the place where her hand had wrapped tightly around your wrist. "i uh, i don't think human hands come off." He pulled his own hand off in some semblance of a joke, but you knew it was the wrong thing to say before he'd even finished.

"How dare you." Felicity seethed, "How dare you put your hands on my child, and then act as if I don't know how my own damn kid works? How dare you!" You flinched at the alarmed looks on Sans and Papyrus's faces.

"IT IS MOST ALRIGHT HUMAN, THERE IS NO NEED TO FEAR FOR WE ALSO KNOW HUMAN PARTS DON'T COME OFF. WE WOULD NEVER ATTEMPT SUCH A THING." You wanted to slap yourself in the face. Papyrus wasn't exactly picking up on the issue.

"You stay away from my daughter." Your foster mother's voice was quiet but filled with anger. It wasn't a request, but a threat. "You stay away from my family." She continued, before turning on her heel and pulling you away behind her. This time, you did look back. Papyrus was waving with a confused look on his face. Your eyes locked with Sans's before your mother pulled you around a corner and out of sight.

She was deathly silent until you got home. Even then, she sent you to your room for most of the night. At dinner, you joined your adoptive parents at the table and quietly ate your meal. Johnathan glanced curiously between yourself and Felicity but didn't say anything about it. It wasn't until an hour or so later that you started to hear the screaming.

You were able to make out bits and pieces of what Felicity was yelling about. "How could she - knew that this would never - grounded for life" You could hear the softer sound of Johnathan's voice, but it wasn't quite loud enough to make out what he was saying.

You wrapped the pillow tightly around your head and tried to block out the sound. You weren't sorry. You couldn't be. But you felt guilty all the same. Not for the first time, you felt like you'd done the wrong thing. You made the wrong decision, and yet, you wouldn't have changed it even if you could.

"Nothing like Arabella - move somewhere else - I don't care how - because I said so!" Your head snapped up. One phrase, one thought rung out in your head that you couldn't shake after the moment you'd heard it. _'Move somewhere else.'_ You thought. No. You couldn't.

You wouldn't do this anymore. You refused. You slipped quietly out of your room, listening for your parents. Felicity and Johnathan were still talking, their voices now at more reasonable volumes and muffled by the size of the house. You made your way to your foster parents room and pulled a small suitcase from their closet. Felicity and Johnathan loved to travel, and you had to take a moment to empty its contents on the floor.

You crept back into the hallway and tiptoed back to your own suite. Inside, you packed the small amount of space you had with clothes, a toothbrush and toothpaste, hair brush and other such necessities. You grabbed the allowance you had saved and the monster gold you'd hidden when you returned home and turned back towards your door. You put an ear up to it and tried to ignore the fact that your heart was beating faster than any sound you could hear.

You waited for a moment until your impatience won out and you began the short trek to the front of the manor. It was a large enough house that you were able to make it out undetected. You weren't exactly sure where you were going to go, but you'd decided, quite firmly, that you wouldn't be coming back. Not again. You waited at the nearest bus stop, dropped a large amount of your change into the coin collector, and watched as the life you had been living slowly disappeared behind you.

When Felicity went to wake you the next morning, she was met with a small bed and a crumpled note that read, 'Thanks for the cookies.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters released every Saturday.
> 
> Don't forget to check out my second story if that interests you.
> 
> Stay determined everyone, and i'll see you next time!


	3. Spaghetti Pie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!
> 
> I want to start by apologizing for the late chapter this week. I went back to work and I've been absolutely flooded with shifts. That being said, I will continue to write this story and have no intentions of abandonment.
> 
> I have decided to move this story to being updated once every two weeks, instead of once a week. I'm very sorry, but I hope this will help fix the time issue I'm having and make sure chapters start coming out on time. I'll be doing the same with Desertification, for those of you that read that story as well. (Which, by the way, should be getting it's next chapter within a few days).
> 
> I also want to thank the user who left my first review! It was so nice and very exciting! Thank you, thank you!
> 
> That being said, let's get right into it!

You aren’t exactly sure why you ended up here, of all places. Your mind had immediately thought to bring you back to Mount Ebott. But then you had thought of Flowey planted somewhere amongst a patch of yellow flowers and broken dreams and you knew you weren’t ready to see him. Maybe you never would be.

You thought of Sans soon after, surely the skelebros would let you crash on their couch for a few nights. You thought of Sans eyelights, carefully trained on where your mother's hand had grasped your wrist, and you didn’t think you were ready to see him, either.

So here you were, standing outside of Asgore’s humble cottage-esque home. You expected there to be more flowers, but all things take time to grow. You raised your small fist and knocked carefully on the large smooth door, no doubt custom made to fit Asgore’s colossal form.

“Just one moment, please!” A deep voice responded. You wait patiently, shifting from one foot to the other until, eventually, the large door opens. “Howdy! How can I-” He cuts himself off before ever finishing. The two of you lock eyes for a few moments before Asgore offers you a warm smile. “Human, please, come in.”

You step into the comfortable little home. It looks smaller than you remember his house near the capitol looking. A few pieces of furniture was brought up from the underground, you think. Potted yellow flowers are carefully placed so you can see one from wherever you decide to sit in the room. The wooden walls are a faded sort of brown that makes you feel like the space is sobbing. Maybe it is. You wonder if seeing such a sad looking house makes Asgore feel better or worse. He turns to look at you.

“I’ll get us some tea, human, and you can tell me everything.” He’s giving you a knowing sort of look and your head shoots up in shocked disbelief. Sometimes you forget Asgore used to be a dad himself. He had two kids and he could probably tell when they were unhappy. He smiles at your expression and gestures towards the sturdy couch. A few moments later and you're both on the couch with cups of golden flower tea between your fingers.

“I don’t want to go back.” You say at last. The contents of your cup seem far more palatable than Asgore’s reaction, so you keep your gaze down. “I have to, don’t I? There’s nowhere else for me to go.” You thought that maybe you would have been happy underground with the monsters. You think you’re selfish for thinking that.

“There isn’t a monster who wouldn’t disagree with that.” He said, “What happened? Have they hurt you?” His voice is inviting, but there’s an edge to it somewhere in there that reminds you of the day you fought - actually fought - him. You can feel his gaze is trained on you, unwavering.

“No.” You say finally, because neither Felicity nor Johnathan had ever actually harmed you. “I’m not theirs.” You try, finally looking up at him. Your expression is pleading. You want him to understand the words you can’t find. 

“I don’t suppose you belong to anyone, human.” He’s trying to humor you, but you can tell he doesn’t really know where you’re trying to go with this. “Toriel would do anything to get custody of you, if you asked. Gold, negotiation, _persuasion._ If you asked, she would.” 

You think that’s true, and you think Toriel would probably be successful too. Your parents didn’t really want _you._ Maybe they would adopt another little girl who likes to wear lots of dresses and feel their moms hands comb through their hair. You want them to be happy, so you hope they do find what they’re looking for.

“Can’t stay with Tori.” You say. “Guilty, can’t tell you.” It’s the most you’re really willing to say about the timelines. You love Toriel, and you think she would be a great mother, but she doesn’t know what you’ve done. You feel like you would be taking advantage of her, if you lived in her home, ate her food, let her love you, and never told her of that day when she had said you were just like the husband she’d come to hate. The day she said that she was wrong about you. 

Asgore nodded firmly, as if those few words told him everything in the universe. You wonder how much he really knows about what’s going on, but he turns to face forward before you can dwell on it too long.

“You could stay here, if that would make you happy.” His voice is quiet, but hopeful. You consider what Toriel’s reaction would be if you told her you didn’t want to stay with her, but that you would live with her ex-husband. You don’t think it’s a good idea.

“Guilty.” You say again, as a way of explanation.

“I see.” Asgore whispers. “They were a lot like you.” He says after a moment. “Chara. Acting like they’d done something, even though they’d only ever made people happy.”

You don’t know what to say to that. You aren’t sure what Chara has or hasn’t done, but you know what you’ve done, and you're certain you hurt people doing it. Those who can remember are still hurting.

“Thank you for the tea.” You say quietly. You hold the cup out and he takes it. Your tea is untouched but if he notices, he doesn’t say anything.

“Come back anytime, human.” He looks like he wants to say more. The way he hovers just behind you as you leave makes you think he wants to stop you from going, but in the end he doesn't, so you walk out and back onto the dirt path that connects the string of houses.

You wander until you find a decently sized vaguely fish shaped house and can only imagine this is where Undyne now lives. You walk up to the door and knock before you can convince yourself it’s a bad idea.  
“That must be Doctor Alphys!” A pleasant and familiar voice speaks through the door.

“I’ll get it!” This voice was much louder, and only a half second after hearing it Undyne throws the door open and looks down at you. You stare in silence for a moment before she says, “Hey! You’re not Alphys.”

You raise your eyebrow and look down at yourself. That’s true, so you shrug a little bit and promptly turn to leave. You feel your body lifted off the ground as Undyne whips you around and holds you in front of her.

“Where do you think you’re going, punk?” Your body is lifted up and you're pretty sure she’s about to slam dunk you out of existence. “How long’s it been? MONTHS. And no call?” She doesn’t sound angry, she sounds excited and you're disturbed to find out that both tones scare you equally as much.

“Undyne! Put the child down right this instant.” You try to turn your head around enough to fully see Toriel’s form in the hallway. She doesn’t sound angry either, but startled, and Undyne places you back onto your feet. 

“Well you might as well come in. We’re making PIE. And PASTA. And PASTA PIE.” Undyne looks far too pleased about that, but the idea seems disgustingly delightful and your curiosity overtakes you before the rational part of your mind tells you you’ll definitely have to taste this concoction if you walk into the house.

“Yes well, I suppose as long as everyone is enjoying themselves…” Toriel looks like she’d rather be baking anything other than what Undyne had just described to you. Undyne walks past you both into the kitchen and you stand with Toriel in the hallway for a moment. “My child, how have you been?”

“Good.” You respond, not sure you want to get into anything other than that.

“I see.” She responds. “Where are your parents? Are they with you?” You can’t quite distinguish if her tone is disapproval of your parents potentially being here, or the idea that they would have let you come here with no adult supervision.

“I came to see you guys.” It’s not an answer but it’s all you’ve got so you walk up to her and hug the bottom half of her dress. When Toriel lets out a soft ‘My child!’ and wraps you in her large fuzzy arms, you don’t feel uncomfortable at all.

The loud sounds of pans hitting tiled floor catch your attention, and you both make your way into the kitchen. Undyne looks over at you sheepishly as she and Papyrus begin picking up pans that had fallen from the small island.

“Oh my, are you two alright?” Toriel asked.

“Pfft, of course we are. I would never be defeated by a simple household pan!” Undyne begins waving two pans around for emphasis, one in each hand. She bangs them together and you think they probably dented from the force of the impact but no one says anything so you don’t either.

“So where’ve you been anyways, huh?” Undyne doesn’t ask it aggressively but you still pull back a little.

“My parents don’t live near here.” Again, it’s not really an explanation but you hope it’s enough to satisfy her.

“Shall we put the… er… Pie? In the oven.” Toriel gestures to a large mass on the counter that you can only imagine is said pie. She looks disdainfully between it and the other occupants in the room, as if hoping someone will say something about this disgrace to the culinary arts, but Papyrus and Undyne are beaming so instead she directs them on how long she thinks it should be heated for. 

“No fire magic?” You ask. Undyne laughs loudly when you say it.

“Fuhuhuhu! Actually, she’s uh, teaching me to use the oven so that next time Pap and I cook the house _doesn’t_ burn down.” You make an ‘o’ with your mouth and wait patiently for the disappointment to go into the oven.

“Alphys is coming?” You ask. 

“SHE IS SUPPOSED TO BE HERE SOON. SHE WAS DOING SCIENCEY THINGS WITH SANS.” Papyrus’s eyes shift in a conspiratorial way before he finishes with, “SANS HAS BEEN MUCH MORE ACTIVE WITH THAT LATELY, I THINK THEY’RE WORKING ON A PROJECT.”

This peaks your interest and you tilt your head, silently asking for more. Papyrus doesn’t seem to have much else to add though and before you can attempt to question him, there’s another knock at the door.

“Speak of the monster. ” Toriel says looking back towards the entrance. Undyne makes her way out of the room and you can hear the slamming of a door and ‘eep, U-U-Undyne!’ in the background before the fish lady walks in with a yellow dinosaur tucked under her arm. 

“Found her!” Undyne proclaims proudly as Alphys blushes and attempts to hide her face. She twists a bit but can’t really get out of the muscular hold she’s in.

“woah there undy, don’t just go waving that thing around.” Your attention flies around to the oven where Sans has the door opened ever so slightly and is peaking inside. He closes it before gesturing to the lizard and saying “people might think that Alphys is _armed._ ”

“SANS THAT IS TERRIBLE. AND WHY CAN’T YOU USE THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL SKELETON?” Papyrus admonishes. Your face scrunches up in amusement that you’re doing your best to hide as Toriel laughs and Undyne lets Alphys back onto her own two feet.

“calm down bro, that sounds like a ton of work-”

“SANS DON’T YOU DARE FINISH THAT”

“a skele **ton** ”

“THAT WAS TERRIBLE!”

Your smile becomes a little more genuine before Sans turns and looks at you.

“woah kid, didn’t expect to see you here.” You wish Sans wasn’t so good at acting casual when you know he isn’t.

“I left.” You tell them. Sans shifts a bit and his tone becomes a bit more nervous. You’re sort of glad for that. Not that he’s nervous but that you can see it for once when he is.

“yeah i guess if you hadn’t then you’d be at home.” He said. You’re pretty sure he knows what you meant, and you’re also pretty sure he doesn’t want to have the conversation about running away and carefully pressed fingernails grasping onto soft flesh. Still, you’re far too tired to play a verbal game here, not that you have the patience for it when you’re energized, and you still need a place to crash tonight.

“No, I ran away.” The room is silent at this admission for a moment, and then all of a sudden there’s chaos. Toriel steps closer to you first. You feel like her suspicions were confirmed and she’s in full on mom mode. Undyne and Papyrus are shouting questions and, in the fish’s case, threats at equal volume. Alphys is attempting some sort of sign language communication that you aren’t familiar with and Sans has completely sunken into his hoodie, as if he committed a crime by asking.

You begin to flail your arms until everyone calms down.

“Can I stay somewhere?” You ask anxiously. You sort of wish you’d asked someone in particular because a variety of voices call out at once offering you a bed or room. 

“Quiet please!” Toriel says politely, but loud enough to be heard over the chorused murmurs. Everyone settles at her command and she says, “My child, I’m sure we can arrange somewhere for you, but I must ask. Why did you leave? Are your parents worried? Are they looking for you?”

You don’t want to lie and get Felicity and Johnathan in trouble so you sigh heavily and prepare to explain yourself.

“you don’t have to tell us.” Sans cuts you off before you can even begin. You look at him surprised, as well as everyone else in the room. He looks away in an embarrassed sort of shrug. “uh, sorry for bringin’ it up kiddo. s’not my business y’know? but if you need a place to crash, that’s about all the information i need to take the couch for a night.”

You’re immensely grateful for a moment. You aren’t sure what you would have said if you did decide to explain yourself. What would that explanation be? ‘Felicity and Johnathan are perfectly nice people who genuinely care about my well being, but I hate being anywhere near them’? You feel like a bad person and hope you didn’t hurt your foster parents too much.

“Thank you.” You say quietly. 

“Yeah, but-” Undyne begins but Toriel cuts her off.

“Have they hurt you?” She says. Her tone is cold and ruthless and her gaze feels penetrating. You shiver under her intensity but look her in the eyes when you reply. You can’t help but bitterly notice that that question has been going around a lot.

“No.” You say. Her face relaxes and her body loses its tense form.

“Very well.” She says. “Then I will not press you for more than that tonight.”

No one looks pleased by this. You aren’t even sure you’re pleased with this, but you haven’t got enough words left in you today to begin story time so you nod once and smile contentedly.

“WE SHOULD HAVE A MOVIE NIGHT TINY HUMAN!” Papyrus squeals, “WE CAN BRING OUT BLANKETS AND POPCORN AND EVERYONE CAN TRY OUR AMAZING PIE”

You look towards the oven and suddenly, you wonder if you shouldn’t have stayed home after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your patience everyone!
> 
> I'll see you all not this Saturday, but next Saturday for our next chapter.
> 
> Leave a review to let me know what you think!
> 
> Have a great two weeks and stay determined out there guys!


End file.
